file is "not suitable for message storage. Please choose..."

[tvus]

My mail server was changed, and I had to open a new account (I think that's how it's called). My provider did this for me, by taking control of my computer. He evidently is not familiar with TB. I think he should have left the Local Folder Account (LFA) intact, but he changed its Local directory. It was C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xqhfcz5z.default\Mail\Local Folders-1. Somehow he erased it and defined a new directory, C:\thunderbird mail. So now I can't see all my years of mail that was stored in the LFA.

When I try to replace the Local directory by browsing to the previous location, I receive the following message: The Local Directory path C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xqhfcz5z.default\Mail\Local Folders-1" is not suitable for message storage. Please choose another directory.

I've tried to find out, in Mozillazine and on the net, how to retrieve my local folders , but it's all in technical terms, suitable for geeks and young people....
Since this problem, I have not moved any new mail, sent to my new account, to the current local folder, so as not to lose it if I manage to retrieve the old.

What can I do to retrieve my previous local folder?

[tanstaafl]

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Dangerous_dir ... hunderbird talks about that error message. I'm not sure why its complaining as you're not in one of the directory trees that it normally worries about. A '-' isn't a character that I would expect to cause a conflict but its the only thing unusual about that path. One possible workaround would be to create a Local Folders directory in ..\xqhfcz5z.default\Mail\ , copy the contents of Local Folders-1 there, and change the local directory to ..\xqhfcz5z.default\Mail\Local Folders.

If that doesn't help the simplest solution might be to import the mail folders from the old Local Folders into the new one at C:\thunderbird mail. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_folders for how to do that. I wrote that KB article, trying to make it appropriate for a new user who had not learned how to install an add-on yet. If something is unclear, please let me know how far you got and whats confusing and I will try to fix it.

[tvus]

Moderator, thanks for your prompt reply.

Your first suggestion didn't work; I received the same "not suitable..." message. :-(

If, as per this suggestion, I could copy my profile into a new file without the "-1", why can't I copy my profile, i.e. the contents of "folder -1", into the new "C:\thunderbird mail" file, without using the ImportExportTools (IET) extension?

In any case, I understand that I will be importing my previous inbox directories and files into a new directory. The one opened by my provider is in C, but I prefer it in E, so I opened a directory called "Thunderbird local folders mail" (will be referred to as Tlfm) in E, and accordingly (and successfully) defined the Local directory in the Local Folders Account settings.

Your 2nd solution referred me to your well written and detailed article. Nevertheless there are some actions there that are a bit difficult for a clueless me, and before I do anything I would appreciate a few clarifications:

1) using your ImportExportTools (IET) extension, why should I not import all the directory which was defined in the Local Folders Account (LFA), i.e. C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xqhfcz5z.default\Mail\Local Folders-1?
2) Referring to the "Import the folders" paragraph in your KB article: where do I perform the action "select the folder with your mouse in the folder pane"?
3) I looked into the Tools -> ImportExportTools -> import mbox file. That opened a window with multiple choices: import directly one or more mbox files; import one or more mbox files with its/their subdirectory; select a directory where searching the mbox files to import; select a directory where searching the mbox files to import (also in subdirectories). There's also an "open filepicker in profiles' directory" checkbox. Which to choose?
4) The KB article has an "Export the Folders" paragraph. Do I need to export anything?

Sorry for being so lengthy, and again, thanks.

[tanstaafl]

"why can't I copy my profile, i.e. the contents of "folder -1", into the new "C:\thunderbird mail" file, without using the ImportExportTools (IET) extension?"

You could copy the files from one Local Folders to another rather than using the add-on. However, if you do that you'd lose any email in the new Local Folders. I assumed you had mail you care about in each. One workaround would be to copy the files to a intermediate directory where you rename them, and then copy them to the new Local Folders directory. For example rename "inbox." and "inbox.msf" to "old_inbox." and "old_inbox.msf". Then you can drag and drop messages using Thunderbird to merge the folders (after copying the files).

"1) using your ImportExportTools (IET) extension, why should I not import all the directory which was defined in the Local Folders Account (LFA), i.e. C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xqhfcz5z.default\Mail\Local Folders-1?"

I was suggesting you import all of the mbox files in that directory. The add-on file only imports mbox files (the files that contain the messages). Other files such as the *.msf and *sbd files are automatically created by Thunderbird afterwards.

"2) Referring to the "Import the folders" paragraph in your KB article: where do I perform the action "select the folder with your mouse in the folder pane"?"

I was attempting to say select the destination folder by clicking on it in the folder pane. When you use the menu command to import the mbox file(s) it imports them into a child folder/hierarchy it creates underneath the currently selected folder. That is why you need to select the destination folder. The add-on asks Thunderbird what is the current folder and uses that folder as the parent folder (destination).

Let me reword it.

"3) I looked into the Tools -> ImportExportTools -> import mbox file. That opened a window with multiple choices: import directly one or more mbox files; import one or more mbox files with its/their subdirectory; select a directory where searching the mbox files to import; select a directory where searching the mbox files to import (also in subdirectories). There's also an "open filepicker in profiles' directory" checkbox. Which to choose?"

Those choices didn't exist the last time I edited the KB article. I'll need to update the text and replace the screen shots.
If your old Local Folders only has one level of folders (none of the folders has child folders) it would be simplest to select "select a directory where searching the mbox files to import".

"import directly one or more mbox files" would also work if you held down the control key and selected all of them.

"4) The KB article has an "Export the Folders" paragraph. Do I need to export anything?"
Nope.

I'll create a new post letting you know when I've finished editing the KB article.

[tvus]

Thanks again for your reply!

I have not moved any mail to "Local Folders" since that action taken by my provider, anticipating that it may make it difficult to merge the previous with the new. I have left all incoming mail in the Inbox and sent in the Sent, and will move them to my previously defined files in Local Folders after I surmount this challenge.

So, can I erase all the actually empty files*, formed in the new directory which I opened (E\TB local folders mail) and which is associated with Local Folders, and copy the contents** of the previous directory (...\Local Folders-1) to there?

What's the worse that can happen?

*directory b.sbd; files Drafts, Drafts.msf, Trash, Trash.msf, Unsent Messages, and Unsent Messages.msf

**directories Joe.sbd, Mary.sbd; files Joe, Joe.msf, ... Drafts, Drafts.msf, etc.

[tanstaafl]

If the files appear to be empty I'd leave them alone and just copy the files from the old Local Folders to that directory.

[tanstaafl]

I did a first pass at updating http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_folders . I didn't update the exporting folders section yet (you don't care about that section).

[tvus]

Tanstaafl, sorry for not writing earlier. Your advice solved my problem. I even moved all the files to E drive instead of the C drive. So I have all my files. Since then TB, though, is slugish, but that's another problem that I'll try and sort out.
Again, hats off to you